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Of the 28 books that comprise my personal chess library, there isn’t one quite like this new gem by FM Sunil Weeramantry, Alan Abrams, and Robert McLellan. I would describe it as something of a cross between my all-time favorite chess book, “The Immortal Game: A History of Chess,” by David Shenk, and, say, your favorite problem or puzzle book.

At the same time, “Great Moves” is kind of in a league of its own. It’s also a must-have — and the perfect gift — for a chess educator or chess parent.

“Great Moves” was featured in the March 2018 issue of WAG Magazine, a lifestyle publication serving Westchester, NY and Greenwich, CT. Click the image to read the story. It’s great!

This book is honestly the first chess book that I’ve gotten into. I’m not a competitive player, but my kids are. This book armed me with fascinating history about the game that helps me relate better to them. I feel like the pictures and [the] stories are a good read even if you don’t play much. And the chess lessons have a uniquely fresh, relatable quality. Great stuff!

“The authors take readers through a deep analysis of the game’s ties to politics, culture, and religions, creating a fascinating timeline about how the modern game was shaped by the past, how the game has adapted, and how these nuances can influence strategy for the present-day.”

“Great Moves” was featured in Bill Cornwall’s Chess column in the Los Angeles Times; he picked one of the Morphy games we featured as his Game of the week. Click the thumbnail for a larger, readable image.

Great Moves will help instill your love of chess in the next generation. Like the books that made me fall in love with chess so deeply when I was a kid, this book intertwines the stories of the colorful personalities of the great Romantic Era of chess – of Morphy and before – with the exciting and instructive games they played.

– Life Master Hal Bogner
Founder, ChessMagnetSchool.com

I read passages to my students and showed them a number of the games. I really enjoyed the connection to history and the overlapping story lines. Sunil, of course, chose games that were not only excellent representations of the players’ styles, but also had great instructional value.

– Coach Jay Stallings
California Youth Chess League

As an amateur chess player and advisor to a high school chess club, I found that the interesting historical insights made the games and puzzles come to life. Even those who were not chess players were fascinated by the history of the game and the thoroughly researched historical anecdotes.